So a week after my long rant about how nobody’s going ballistic about Prison Break possibly being cancelled (unlike Heroes, which brings in better ratings), rumors began circulating that this could be the series final season. This would be disappointing, of course, but you also have to consider that a show like Prison Break wasn’t meant to last ten years. Another year would be nice, because I do think there’s fuel left in the tank, but quite honestly, if this season ties itself up with a “happy ending,” it would quite possibly be the perfect way to conclude the series. The Company is taken down, Michael and his crew become completely free men, Michael can sail into the sunset with Sara, and those who didn’t survive either received their retribution, or died heroes. A very strong argument could be made that this is the right time for the show to call it quits.
Anyway, this week’s episode of Prison Break was another exhilarating one. I do have one major qualm, though: During the heist, why on EARTH would you send the guy who has repeatedly passed out and had seizures, who you know isn’t supposed to push himself physically or mentally, out on a wobbly, narrow plank to delicately sneak into a glass prison to nab their salvation? Yeah, yeah, I know he’s the star of the show, but it (a) took away from an otherwise incredible and flawless scene, (b) it made the rest of the team look incapable, and (c) it made Michael pretty unlikeable. I mean, is Michael so prideful and egotistical that he would risk the freedom of the rest of his team in order to be the big hero? That’s awfully selfish.
But, like I said, other than that, it was an absolutely awesome scene. I loved the lack of theme music, and the quick cuts to earlier scenes in order to clarify actions that otherwise could have been confusing. Not to mention it was mighty intense, as well. One thing that Prison Break does great is that they give you just enough information that you can sorta piece together what they’re going to do, but when you see it in action, you have these great “ahhhhh” moments when you finally see why they needed to check the sound level of an umbrella opening.
I’m also glad they remembered that Mahone is a genius as well. I liked how he took the ball seconds after it became clear that Michael couldn’t continue with his little speech.
Just as a side note, this episode also did a wonderful job of illustrating how much better this show works with a smaller cast (Heroes, take note). Like I said, Bellick, for example, had pretty much become background furniture. Roland was nothing more than your stereotypical short tempered and arrogant techie nerd. Trimming the fat, so to speak, really added to the effectiveness of the episode. I think the heist would have really suffered if you had characters needlessly hanging around. I’m still not positive what purpose Sara serves, exactly.
I did enjoy seeing the receptionist and Self walk right into T-Bag’s trap. While I’m not a fan of the ‘Bag being included in this season’s arc, I do enjoy seeing his conniving nature come into play. Although I’m amazed that he’s managed to stay off the radar for this long, despite the fact that he’s in an office with three glass walls. I mean, between the skanky looking women and the big burly men constantly threatening him with physical force, you’d think SOMEBODY would raise an eyebrow.
Anyway, we have to wait two weeks before the big mid-season finale to what has been a stellar season, and it looks like we’ll be seeing some deaths. You know what? Let’s let the good guys win this one. Off Gretchen, T-Bag, and the General. Perhaps have the Laotians kidnap Self and the receptionist because they didn’t get what they wanted. This would force Michael, Lincoln, Mahone, Sara, and Sucre to have to rescue them, having discovered that Self didn’t leave the necessary evidence that proves they are now free men. That’s the rest of your season, perhaps.
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, Heroes, Prison Break, and Smallville. You can visit his blog at A Case of the Blog.
